Cigar-vending machine.



No. 823,954. PATENTED JUNE 19, 1906. G. W. "MEREDITH.

CIGAR VENDING-MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 11, 1905.

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G. W. MEREDITH.

CIGAR VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 11, 1905.

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PATENTED JUNE 19, 1906.

G. W. MEREDITH.

CIGAR VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR-.11, 1905.

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PATBNTED JUNE 19, 1906 G. w. MEREDITH. CIGAR VENDING MACHINE; APPLIOATION TILED APR.11, 1905.

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PATENT onnron.

GEORGE WASHINGTON MEREDITH, OF WICHITA, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR TO MILO R- MEREDITH, OF W ABASH, INDIANA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 19, 1906.

Application filed April 11, 1905. Serial No. 255.042.

To whom it may concern: Be it known that I, GEORGE WASHINGTO MEREDITH, a citizen of the United States, reslding at Wichita, in the county of Sedgwick and tate of Kansas, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Cigar-Vending Machines, of which the following is a speciflcation.

My invention relates to vending-machines, ID in which individual articles of merchandise are discharged from a stock held for sale by means of a manually-operated handle.

Although applicable in most of its features to the sale of any kind of merchandise which is done up inpackages of'an approximately uniform size, it is especially intended for the sale of cigars. I

The machine is constructed in its entirety asva cigar-case in which the cigars are arranged in their original boxes, with the quality, brand, and price of the cigars therein exposed to view for selection at will by the pur chaser. t i

The machine is intended for hotels, clubrooms, barber-shops, and other places, where it fully supercedes the need and currentex- 'fpense' of an attendent, and yet ives to the purchaser the same ran e of selection and purchase that a regular clgar-store does, and absolutely insures to the purchaser the receipt of a cigar of the quality which he seeks tobuy- In two other applications for patents file by me, December 7,1905, Serial No. 290,728, jand February 23, 1906, Serial No. 302,592, I 3 5 have shown, described, and'claimed one of theunits exhibited in the present machine. r My present invention consists in the novel construction of' cabinet or case in combination with a plurality of theseunits as organ- 4ov ized in a complete and unitary machine, as hereinafter fully described. I f v Figure 1 is a perspective view of the entire vending-machine. Fi 2 is a vertical trans- I verse section taken onlines 2 2 of Figs. 1 and 3. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view taken through the glass case on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.; Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view taken through the subjacent mechanism-chamber on about line 4.4 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of the money-drawer.

Similar reference letters and numerals refer tolike parts in all the views- The machine shown in-the drawings is ar-.

screws and is made removable.

ranged for six boxes of cigars providing for the most usual sales, three vending units being arranged upon one side and three upon the opposite side, and the two series being arranged to dispense on one side one cigar for five cents, two for a quarter, and six for a quarter, while upon the other side the units are arranged to discharge three cigars for five 1 cents, three cigars for a quarter, and'one cigar for ten cents. This arrangement, it will be understood, may be changed at will and the series may be extended or reduced to any desired number of units. A case of six units will ordinarily fill all wants.

The cigar-case and the units of its mechanism are correlated and constitute a unitary machine which may be said to be organized on a three-story basis, Fi s. 1 and 2, the upper story A of which is t e glass show-case containing the cigar-boxes and cigars, the

middle story B, containing the units of the operating mechanism, and the lower story 0, forming a receptacle for the'money-drawer E, into which all the units feed their coins, said lower story also forming a storage-closet of the full horizontal dimensions of the cabinet in which cigars in unbroken boxes may be held in reserve, together with the license when required and the business accounts of the vending-machine.

The floor of the upper story or cigar showcase, Figs. 2 and 3, is formed by the upper surfaces of the operating units D in connection with 'sheet metal strips A A A extending across the machine and bridging the spaces between the units and at the edges of the case and forming, in connection with the vending units, a false bottom for the show-case.

; The top A of the case, Figs. 1 and 2, which is made of glass like the sides, issecured by Two of the opposite glass sides A A Figs. 1 and 2, are constructed as doors hinged at the bottom and secured by a look at the top and capable of being let down to give access to the case to insert fresh boxes of cigars when the'old ones are emptied, the machine never having its oldboxes refilled, but the old ones being taken out when empty and new boxes of cigars being inserted from Which the-retailing goes on from fresh boxes in-compliance with the internal-revenue laws. The second story of the machine, which contalns the vending units, has also on its two opposite sides doors B B hinged at the bottom and locked at the top, and these doors are slotted horizontally opposite each unit to form discharge-openings and have ,around these slots on the outside receiving-pockets B, into which the cigars are discharged from the machine. These doors also bear the coin-slot escutcheon-plates B and through which plate slide the push-buttons B by which the units are operated. 'On these escutcheon-plates are also stamped directions for securing a cigar or cigars of the required price. There are also in the doors metal-lined holes B, Fig. 1, through which protrude the square ends of the winding shafts by which the spring-actuated mechanism of each unit is wound up.

In Fig. 2 are shown in side view two of the vending units, which are fully described in my other applications for patents. For the purpose of understanding their relation and coaction in this machine it will only be necessary to state that they are of the carrier-belt type, and they all rest upon a common floor above the closet and have each an individualized coin-controlled discharging mechanism operable through the side doors of the case. Their tops form, with the plates A A A", a complete false bottom or floor for the showcase, and each unit has a coin-trough 30,1eading through the floor of the units-chamber into the subjacent money-drawer E. Each unit is separable from every other unit, so that any one may be removed and replaced without affecting the operative character of the others for the purpose of changing the gears or for repairs.

The coin is introduced through a chute 23, is forced in by a plunger 26, and drops into a curved trough 30, Figs. 2 and 4, which leads through an opening in the floor to the moneydrawer E. (Shown in Figs. 1 and 5 and in dotted lines in Fig. 4.)

With a machine of six units, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the coin-troughs lead through the floor of the mechanism-compartment, as in Fig. 4, and deposit the coins into the six compartments of the money-drawer. (Shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4 and full lines in Fig. 6.) Thus the coin-trough 30 leads from the five-cent-straight unit to the correspondingly-marked compartment of the moneydrawer, the cointrough 30 leads from the two-for-a-quarter unit to the correspondingly-marked compartment of the money drawer, the coin-trough 30 leads from the six-for-a-quarter unit to the correspondingly-marked compartment of the moneydrawer, the coin-trough 3O leads from the three-for-a-nickel unit to the correspondingly-marked compartment of the moneydrawer, the coin-trough 30 leads from the three-for-a-quarter unit to the correspondingly-marked compartment of the moneydrawer, and the coin-trough 30 leads from the ten-cent-straight unit to the correspondingly-marked compartment of the moneydrawer.

In pointing out one of the important ad vantages of my invention I would state that it is very desirable to have the cigars in an entirely separate compartment from the more or less delicate operative mechanism of the coin-controlled vending units. For instance, it is desirable to have a wet sponge or cigar-moistener in the case with the cigars to surround them with a moist atmosphere; but this moisture would be very prejudicial to the operative parts of the mechanism on account of corrosion. In my construction of case the tops of the series of vending units, in connection with the plates A A A, form a floor or false bottom for the cigarcase that allows the cigars to be in an atanosphere of their own separate from that of the coin-controlled vending mechanism below, the cigars themselves above the units absorbing any moisture that might otherwise reach the vending units. The importance of this will be perceived when it is understood that unless cigars are kept moist and tough they get so dry and brittle that almost any automatic vending mechanism tears the wrappers and destroys the value of the cigar delivered.

In carrying out my invention I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the exact construction and arrangement of the machine as herein shown, as various changes in construction and arrangement may be made without departing from my invention as set forth in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A vending-machine, comprising a single horizontal glass show-case, a plurality of independent and removable vending units arranged in a horizontal plane below the showcase, a set of plates connecting the to s of the vending units and forming therewit 1 a false bottom for the show-case upon which the bottomless boxes of articles for sale are seated, each vendin unit having at one end an individualized discharging mechanism operable from the exterior of the case.

2. A vending-machine, comprising a single horizontal glass show-case, a series of independent and removable vending units arranged in a horizontal plane below the showcase, a set of plates connecting the tops of the vending units and forming therewith a false bottom. for the show-case u )on which the bottomless boxes of articles held for sale are seat ed, each vending unit having at one end an individualized discharging mechanism, a cabinet inclosure for the lower portion of the machine, said cabinet inclosure having in its side a horizontal door hinged about a horizontal axis and arranged at thelevel of the vending I bottom for the show-case upon which the botunits and extending past the series of units.

3 A vending-machine, comprising a single horizontal glass show-case, a series of independent and removable vending units arranged in a horizontal plane below the show-, case, a set of plates connecting the tops of the vending units and forming therewith a false bottom for the show-case u on which the bottomless boxes of articles he (1 for sale are seated, each vending unit having at one end an individualized discharging mechanism, a cabinet inclosure for the lower portion of the machine, said cabinet inclosure having in its side a horizontal door hinged about a horizon tal axis and arranged at the level of the vending units and extending past the series of units and said door being equipped with a separate operating-handle and external receiving-trough for each vending unit.

4. A vending-machine, comprising a single horizontal glass show-case, a plurality of independent and removable vending units arranged in a horizontal plane below the showcase, a set of plates connecting the tops of the vending units and forming therewith a false tomless boxes of articles held for sale are seated, each vending unit having at one end an individualized discharging mechanism, and a cabinet inclosure having a common horizon tal floor below the units.

4. 5. A vending-machine, comprising a single horizontal glass show-case, a plurality of independent and removable vending units arranged in a horizontal'plane below the showcase, a set of plates connecting the tops of the vending-units and forming therewith a false bottom for the show-case upon which the bottomless boxes of articles held for sale are seated, each vending unit having at one end an individualized discharging mechanism, a cabinet inclosure having a horizontal common floor below the units, and a closet below the units-floor extending the full horizontal di- (rinensions of the cabinet and provided with a oor.

GEORGE WASHINGTON MEREDITH.

Witnesses LYMAN I-IEss, H'ARRY HEss. 

